If you’re anything like us, the first question on your lips when you see the Mercedes-AMG CLE 646 Spezialanfertigung isn’t “How many times do I need to win Powerball to buy one?” but “What the hell does Spezialanfertigung mean?”

The answer is one of the only understatements surrounding the brand-new, ultimate form of the CLE. Depending on which source you use, the translation is “custom build” or “special production”, which doesn’t really do justice to a model that has a run of just 30 units and has made zero compromises in search of blistering performance.

Silver high-performance car with a large rear wing speeds along a curved race track.
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Just the second model in the brand’s Mythos series, the Spezialanfertigung has already sold out, and it’s not hard to see why. The geniuses at Affalterbach have been very, very busy.

The 646 in the name refers to the 646 horses (475kW) produced by its four-litre twin-turbo, flat plane-crank V8, which feeds its power exclusively to the rear wheels and makes 850Nm of torque. That might not sound like much grunt when Chinese EVs are churning out 1000kW or more, but the Merc only has to shift a kerb weight of 1895kg.

AMG engineers started with the current CLE Coupé and purpose-tuned the chassis, extensively modified the bodyshell and went to extreme lengths to reduce its mass. That means lots of carbon fibre and an extra-spartan approach to the interior, which has no back seats, greatly reduced “comfort features” and ultra-lightweight racing pews for the driver and passenger. Even the audio system was pared back – not that you’d want to use it much considering what that exhaust note must sound like.

The CLE 646’s very muscular look comes courtesy of a dramatically broadened stance. It’s 60mm wider front and rear. The unique AMG Performance forged wheels measure 11.0J x 20 up front, 12.0J x 20 out back, and they’re clad in 305/30 ZR 20 and 335/30 ZR 20 rubber respectively. The amount of flaring on the rear wheel arches compounds the effect.

Rear view of a silver Mercedes‑AMG with a large carbon wing in a dimly lit parking area at night.
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The front diffuser can be switched to Street or Race position, with the latter producing a Venturi effect. The carbon rear wing is adjustable, and those features combine with the fender louvres and underbody to form a highly effective and malleable aero package.

Power from the bent eight is fed through the nine-speed AMG Speedshift TCT transmission, and the Spezialanfertigung also features purpose-developed steel coilover suspension with adjustable damper tech. The anchors are ceramic composite with a cooling system tailored exclusively to the car, and the exhaust sound has been “engineered with a strong emotional focus”, according to Merc-AMG.

One of the most visually obvious examples of the car’s extreme focus on racetrack ability and driving dynamics is the roll bar, which is just one of the measures used to increase torsional rigidity. Even the number of controls on the steering wheel has been reduced, and every vehicle is hand-built in Affalterbach. 

This is usually the point where we’d tell you pricing and delivery times for Australia have yet to be revealed, but unless Mercedes-AMG decides to add to those 30 sold-out units, it’s highly doubtful you’ll see one on the road down under.